The FEI today has announced the provisional suspension of Belgian rider Tine Magnus and her horse, Dia Van Het Lichterveld Z, who competed as members of team Belgium at the Paris Olympics last month. The 10-year-old mare was found to have the presence of the banned substance Trazodone, commonly used in horses to facilitate stall rest and recovery, under the the FEI’s Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations (EADCMRs).
“An adverse analytical finding (AAF) from one team member during the Olympic Games, will lead to the disqualification of the whole team. Hence, team Belgium will be disqualified from the Eventing team competition of the Paris Olympic Games,” a statement from the FEI reads.
Tine and the horse have both also been provisionally suspended pending the decision of an FEI Tribunal. Tine’s suspension is, at this time, indefinite, while the mare’s suspension is listed for two months as of publication.
Belgium finished a banner weekend in Paris, just off the team podium in fourth place.
“With the greatest sadness I had to hear about a positive doping result of my horse Dia (during the Olympics),” writes Tine in a statement on her Facebook page. “Together with the KBRSF and my team, we are searching for the cause of this also for me very surprising result. I assure you that I or anyone on my team have never used any form of doping. I am [an] honest sportswoman and will do everything I can to prove my innocence. I hope for your support and confidence.”
We spoke to Belgian chef d’equipe Kai Steffen-Meier, who said the following:
“For us as a team, it’s obviously devastating news, and for the whole team that was involved in this journey to Paris, and the result in Paris. We were very sure that we were very careful, and that with all food and supplements, we had everything tested before. So at the moment we simply cannot explain where contamination could have happened. So that’s our thing now, to solve that mystery, for us to say, ‘Okay, what, what happened? How did this horse could test positive, and why?’ And to try to work together with the FEI and with the vets to find the reason for that.
I cannot really say what [could have happened], and if it could be somewhere in the production process of any supplements, or it comes out of the same factory, or whatever. So it’s a little bit like at the moment like finding the needle in the haystack to say, ‘Okay, what happened? Why is it like it is now?’ We will try to work that out. And the vet team is is reading themselves into the situation to find the explanation for that.
